St. Clare is the little plant of St. Francis, as she called herself. A blog to my call to become a Poor Clare Colettine. If St. Clare was a "little plant", I am a scraggly weed.

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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Today is the Feast of St. Clare of Assisi - August 11th - "From The Little Flowers of St. Francis"

From The Little Flowers of St. Francisby Brother Ugolino

The Little Flowers of St. Francis or Fioretti di San Francesco is a life of Saint Francis of Assisi which was composed at the end of the 14th century.

CHAPTER XXXIII

HOW ST CLARE, BY ORDER OF THE POPE, BLESSED THE BREAD WHICH WAS ON THE
TABLE, AND HOW ON EACH LOAF APPEARED THE SIGN OF THE HOLY CROSS

St Clare, a most devout servant of the Cross of Christ, and one of the
sweetest flowers of St Francis, was so holy, that not only the Bishops
and Cardinals but the Pope himself wished to see and hear her, and went
often to visit her in person. One day, amongst others, the holy Father
went to her convent to hear her speak of things celestial; and having
long reasoned together, St Clare ordered the table to be laid and bread
to be placed upon it, in order that the holy Father might bless it.
Their spiritual conclave being at an end, St Clare, kneeling down with
great reverence, begged him to bless the bread which had been placed on
the table. To whom the holy Father answered: “Most faithful sister, I
will that thou bless this bread by the sign of the cross to which thou
hast devoted thyself.” St Clare said: “Most holy Father, excuse me. I
should indeed by worthy of reproof if I, a miserable woman, should
presume to give such a blessing in the presence of the Vicar of Christ.”
Then the Pope answered: “In order that such an act be not looked upon
as presumptuous, but that it may bear on it the marks of obedience, I
command thee, in the name of holy obedience, to make on this bread the
sign of the cross, and to bless it in the name of God.” At this St
Clare, like a true daughter of obedience, blessed the loaves most
devoutly, making over them the sign of the holy cross; and, wonderful to
relate, on all those loaves appeared a cross, most clearly marked; and
some of them were eaten, but the rest were put aside, in order to
testify of the miracle. And the holy Father, having seen the miracle,
thanked God; and taking some of the bread, went away, leaving his
blessing with Sister Clare. At that time Sister Ortolana, mother of St
Clare, and Sister Agnes, her sister, were living together in the convent
with St Clare, both most virtuous women, full of the Holy Spirit,
likewise many other nuns; to whom St Francis senta great number of sick
persons, who were all healed by their prayers and by the sign of the
most holy cross.

CHAPTER XXXV

HOW ST CLARE, BEING ILL, WAS MIRACULOUSLY CARRIED, ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT,
TO THE CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS, WHERE SHE ASSISTED AT THE OFFICE

St Clare was at one time so dangerously ill that she could not go to
church with the other nuns to say the Office on the night of the
Nativity of Christ. All the other sisters went to Matins; but she
remained in bed, very sorrowful because she could not go with her
sisters to receive spiritual consolation. But Jesus Christ, her Spouse,
unwilling to leave her comfortless, carried her miraculously to the
church of St Francis, so that she was present at Matins, assisted at the
Midnight Mass, and received the Holy Communion, after which she was
carried back to her bed. When the nuns returned to their convent, the
ceremonies being ended at St Damiano, they went to St Clare and said to
her: “O Sister Clare, our Mother, what great consolations we have
experienced at this feast of the Holy Nativity! Oh, if it had but
pleased God that you should have been with us!” To this St Clare
answered: “Praise and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed
one, my beloved sisters and daughters; for I have not only assisted at
all the solemnities of this most holy night, but I have experienced in
my soul even greater consolations than those which have been your share;
for by the intercession of my father, St Francis, and through the grace
of our Saviour Jesus Christ I have been personally present in the
church of my venerable father, St Francis, and with the ears of my body
and those of my spirit have heard all the Office, and the sounds of the
organ, and the singing, and have likewise received there the most Holy
Communion. Rejoice, then, because of these graces which I have received,
and return to thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.”

CHAPTER XV

HOW ST CLARE ATE WITH ST FRANCIS AND HIS COMPANIONS AT ST MARY OF THE ANGELS

St Francis, when residing at Assisi, often visited St Clare, to give her
holy counsel. And she, having a great desire to eat once with him,
often begged him to grant her this request; but the saint would never
allow her this consolation. His companions, therefore, being aware of
the refusal of St Francis, and knowing how great was the wish of Sister
Clare to eat with him, went to seek him, and thus addressed him:
“Father, it seems to us that this severity on thy part in not granting
so small a thing to Sister Clare, a virgin so holy and so dear to God,
who merely asks for once to eat with thee, is not according to holy
charity, especially if we consider how it was at thy preaching that she
abandoned the riches and pomps of this words. Of a truth, if she were to
ask of thee even a greater grace than this, thou shouldst grant it to
thy spiritual daughter.” St Francis answered: “It seems to you, then,
that I ought to grant her this request?” His companions made answer:
“Yea, father, it is meet that thou grant her this favour and this
consolation.” St Francis answered: “As you think so, let it be so, then;
but, in order that she may be the more consoled, I will that the meal
do take place in front of St Mary of the Angels, because, having been
for so long time shut up in San Damiano, it will do her good to see the
church of St Mary, wherein she took the veil, and was made a spouse of
Christ. There, then, we will eat together in the name of God.”

When the
appointed day arrived, St Clare left her convent with great joy, taking
with her one of her sisters, and followed by the companions of St
Francis. She arrived at St Mary of the Angels, and having devoutly
saluted the Virgin Mary, before whose altar her hair had been cut off,
and she had received the veil, they conducted her to the convent, and
showed her all over it. In the meantime St Francis prepared the meal on
the bare ground, as was his custom. The hour of dinner being arrived, St
Francis and St Clare, with one of the brethren of St Francis and the
sister who had accompanied the saint, sat down together, all the other
companions of St Francis seated humbly round them. When the first dish
was served, St Francis began to speak of God so sweetly, so sublimely,
and in a manner so wonderful, that the grace of God visited them
abundantly, and all were rapt in Christ. Whilst they were thus rapt,
with eyes and hearts raised to heaven, the people of Assisi and of
Bettona, and all the country round about, saw St Mary of the Angels as
it were on fire, with the convent and the woods adjoining. It seemed to
them as if the church, the convent, and the woods were all enveloped in
flames; and the inhabitants of Assisi hastened with great speed to put
out the fire.

On arriving at the convent, they found no fire; and
entering within the gates they saw St Francis, St Clare, with all their
companions, sitting round their humble meal, absorbed in contemplation;
then knew they of a certainty, that what they had seen was a celestial
fire, not a material one, which God miraculously had sent to bear
witness to the divine flame of love which consumed the souls of those
holy brethren and nuns; and they returned home with great consolation in
their hearts, and much holy edification. After a long lapse of time, St
Francis, St Clare, and their companions came back to themselves; and,
being fully restored by the spiritual food, cared not to eat that which
had been prepared for them; so that, the holy meal being finished, St
Clare, well accompanied, returned to San Damiano, where the sisters
received her with great joy, as they had feared that St Francis might
have sent her to rule some other convent, as he had already sent St
Agnes, the sister of the saint, to be Abbess of the Convent of
Monticelli, at Florence. For St Francis had often said to St Clare, “Be
ready, in case I send thee to some other convent”; and she, like a
daughter of holy obedience, had answered, “Father, I am always ready to
go whithersoever thou shalt send me.” For which reason the sisters
greatly rejoiced when she returned to them, and St Clare was from that
time much consoled.